This post is sponsored by H&R Block but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

2018 was one of the busiest & most fulfilling years of my life. From buying a house to getting pregnant – things have been changing. & changing quickly. Most people wouldn’t even take the time to think about taxes with this whirlwind but when you work for yourself like I do & your husband works for the government…taxes are pretty darn important. & honestly, no matter your job, income, or status taxes should play a big role in our lives annually. This year I’m chatting a bit with how to get it all done thanks to H&R Block!

My 2019 goals are HUGE. Including giving birth. So I really need something convenient but it is also crucial to get things RIGHT. I am not a tax professional so using a program that checks my work is vital. Quite frankly, I’m in a constant state of concern I’m forgetting something. & I don’t want that to be my life! I want to squeeze in some dates with my husband. Quality family activities! & organizing our nursery. Not spend weeks & weeks prepping & agonizing over taxes.

I needed something that fit right into our lifestyle. & made me feel confident! H&R Block has tons of locations across the country but because I’m such an online gal- the DIY products online really appealed to me! I like that I can do them all at once or little by little. I was even able to upload my forms directly online & use the calculator to have some idea of my refund or what I might owe in April! H&R Block helped me feel like I was getting this whole tax thing RIGHT without the usual pressure & they have very transparent pricing which was also very important to our budget!

So what’s the takeaway? I can do my taxes through H&R Block anywhere, anytime, & there are expert tax pros standing by to help if I need it! BUT if I want to focus in the quiet of my home (& that’s so me!) I have that option as well. With H&R Block’s Tax Pro Go, I can upload my docs & a tax pro did the rest, without me ever having to visit an office! Between pregnancy & newborn prep- this was a huge plus! & it gave me time for the important things- like spending quality time with my loved ones.

PR SampleAffiliate LinksAt one point- we had quite the collection of candles. & by that I mean..hoarding level. We had them for every season & snapped new ones up on random whims. Then I fell into research & what I found about the chemicals seriously freaked me out. Pretty much all of my candles got removed from the house & I swapped in better options. One Fur All candles happen to be an option & they’re meant for our dog-loving home! Keep reading to see the entire spring sampler & my favorites!…

Affiliate LinksPR SampleIf you’re ever lived in a space that isn’t your own- you probably know the struggle of making it FEEL like your own. Our patio was definitely one of those spots for us. I really enjoy sitting outside early in the morning to plan my day but we couldn’t find furniture that fit & was still really comfortable. Keep reading to see some of my favorite ideas!…

PR SampleSponsoredI’m always on the hunt for unique ideas whether it is DIY, recipes, or in this instance- gift ideas! FOr me…they happen to be gifts for myself! Something special & a bit different! The Apollo Box is one of those specialty curated sites featuring products you might not find elsewhere! I picked out three including the Dino Sphere from BioPop with 200 ml of living, bioluminescent dinoflagellates that emit a blue glow in a dark room, a gorgeous necklace with a preserved flower trapped in a hand blown tiny glass ball, & of course the popular Marimo Aquarium Kit Orb Vase! Keep reading for all the details & even a discount code!…

Raise your hand if you love watching tv! Raise your other hand if you spend most of your time on the computer! If you’re anything like me you’ve got both arms up so you might as well wave them around. Just saying. Today we’re going to talk about my favorite obsession lately- “The Voice” on NBC. & hear me sing its praises. See what I did there? Nudge nudge. Keep reading to see how I stay up to date without a cable TV!…

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #honeyforholidays #CollectiveBias

It is indeed the most wonderful time of the year…but it can also be kind of stressful. I love visiting & having family visit but I also adhere to a strict “sanctuary” policy. Beth time is my time! & even guests seem to agree. I often put together a goodie basket of bathroom products to make visitors feel more at home & always include something to make bath time more luxurious. Today I’m sharing one of my absolute favorites for the colder months- my DIY recipe for Honey Coconut Milk Bath. Get ready to soak away your stress & get moisturized!…

SponsoredIt has been a rough couple of months. Moving & then unpacking has been monotonous & just plain making me bonkers. It is the same thing day after day. & did I mention expensive? Because I definitely should have. So “fun” has needed to be on the cheap. Enter….Movie Date Night….

Affiliate LinksPR Sample Want a mug that speaks to your social media addiction? Then this Thumbs Up # Mug has you covered. I’m personally super into the whole online thing (she says sarcastically since she blogs for a living!) so this was a perfect find for me!

Affiliate LinksWhen looking at the fashion trends each season, there is often something I like…but am not really interested in adding to my wardrobe. I thought it would be fun to take three popular trends for spring that have been all over the runways & show some fun ways of integrating them into your home & decor! For this post I focused on gingham, stripes, & the new style of animal print- keep reading to check out my picks!

When it comes to holidays Thanksgiving has always been a wacky one. Growing up we didn’t really have a traditional meal…in fact some years we traveled through Thanksgiving on mini vacations. My husband always had very traditional holidays. When we came together we kind of had a whole new situation! Keep reading to find out what we try to do every year!

Together we first started having Thanksgiving in a weird way. The first Thanksgiving we spent with his family, the next he was deployed (mys husband is in the Air Force currently), & then the third we spent with my family. This was a pretty decent rhythm! Then we got stationed in the middle of Nebraska far from family. What to do? Then it dawned on us: We can do whatever we want!

I made my first turkey (ew ew ew so gross to get used to honestly!) which was actually quite beautiful! We had traditional foods that I made myself & we try to open our house to other enlisted military (usually Airmen) who are away from family & can’t get home for the holidays. I love being able to give them a home cooked meal, I know how hard being far from home can be during the winter!

While being on the road or with family for the holidays was fun, we’ve really learned to love our own little Thanksgiving. I make the cranberry sauce the night before (Ryan then eats at least half of it) & plan out my recipes all month. I try to serve on nice platters which I collect all year to make me feel more grown up 😉 We sit around drinking hot chocolate (he drinks eggnog, yuck!) & have a really calm evening. Often on Thanksgiving we already have snow on the ground so it is nice to be cozy & warm inside! Plus we miss all of that traffic!

When it comes to being in public for the holidays, I like to look nice. I love to shop for trendy metallics, winter weather prep accessories (like those adorable leather gloves from Target!), & things I can sprinkle throughout my wardrobe. Honestly, I just love to shop & have new things constantly! Black Friday is my favorite time to seek out items usually out of my price range or things I don’t need but really want! So what does this have to do with Thanksgiving? Well Black Friday is the day after! I count it as being part of the holiday 😉

By the next day, I’m already in the Christmas spirit. I love how sparkly & stunning all the displays are & digging for treasure. Ryan is amused by this so he allows me to buy just about anything my heart desires when I’m in a festive mood. Our house would be so incredibly gawdy if he wasn’t around to reign me in some. I love Thanksgiving because it has become OUR holiday, something we do together as our own little family. It is really special to me.

What are some of your holiday traditions? Don’t forget to tag #MyKindofHoliday & check out Target for some great holiday finds this season!

Let’s talk about what’s been going on though. For those that don’t know, I am obsessive compulsive & have anxiety. I take a medication to live a much better life but I just recently started taking it again. During the break we acquired a whole lot of stuff. & now that I’m back on track it is time to tackle it. We’ve already started & I thought…just in case anyone else out there felt crazy like me…I’d share some tips that have helped me.#1 “I never use this & someone else out there will love it.”This is number one for a reason: I repeat this in my head over & over…& over. When I’m trying to decide on an item this is what I say. If I have to think that hard we probably don’t need it. If it is something truly sentimental (your wedding album, prom dress, your son’s first pair of shoes) then that is something you have to think about. But if you are saving 10 dresses from 15 years ago that you’ll never wear again, let someone else!

#2 Ask lots of questions, of yourself & others.When was the last time he played with this? Where will this fit in with our lifestyle? Is there someone we know who would really appreciate this that we could gift it to? You really need to find a balance. For example, I had well over 100 pairs of sunglasses. Excessive? Yes. But I’ve had most of them for years. The average amount for most people is probably 1-10. the thought of that was enough to nearly make me cray-cray. I couldn’t go down that much! But I did narrow it down to 50. Little by little! Get rid of the things that don’t make your life better: clothes you kept because someone gifted them to you, cracked items you never bothered to fix, games with a bunch of missing pieces…make room for the new.

#3 Get nonjudgmental help. The nonjudgmental part is REALLY important. Find someone who can understand at least somewhat about what upsets you. You don’t want to feel like they think you’re being dramatic or even making things worse. You might be surprised so talk to them before you start. Go over your triggers, what upsets you most, & what will help make the experience productive. One of my triggers is getting rid of things without me seeing it first. My husband is really considerate & vocal about it now.

#4 Give to a cause.This helps me so much. I hate the idea of throwing out perfectly good things someone somewhere might get use out of. I just can’t bare the thought of tossing them in the trash never to be loved again. We don’t personally have a good setup for yard sales so donations really are the way to go. Books to the local library. Art supplies to local schools. Clothing to the Make A Wish Foundation drop offs. I can’t even explain the difference between donating & tossing. Right now people are getting great use out of our mismatched dishes, canned goods we’ll never eat, & clothes I never ended up wearing.

#5 Find your own pace.Some people will speed through certain rooms while others will drag. The kitchen is really hard for me, I can always see myself using those items. Same with crafting supplies. What if I need a lavender zipper someday? Or a mini colander? Or every box of tea ever made? I’ll take longer on those things. Books were really easy for me ever since I started using audio books & my kindle. I used to save them because I would think “Someday I’ll want this for my kids” or “Someday I’ll read this again” but now the only books I tend to keep are a couple from my childhood & my cookbooks. Try to switch between the difficult & easy so you feel like you’re really accomplishing something.

Welp! That’s all for now! If you guys are interested I could talk about our spring cleaning a bit more. It has definitely been an adventure! For the first time in ages it feels good to purge our house of the unnecessary.

When my hubby finally went through & picked out all the t-shirts he hadn’t worn in years I’m pretty sure I squealed. I love t-shirt crafts & there is a plethora of them out there, from jewelery to dog toys. I went with this cool rug that reminded me of some my grandma used to make.

I found instructions on the Disney Family Fun website with really easy step-by step photos. I actually used a much smaller hula hoop thus translating into a much smaller rug. Super easy & something I accomplished while sitting in front of the TV. A+ for ease type craft in my book!

Note: I did tuck my ends back in..fringe works as dog hair attractors in my house! Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest, lots of great crafting & DIY ideas there!

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Please remember that all photos, projects, opinions, & recipes (unless otherwise noted) are mine & mine alone.If you would like to use a recipe or photo, please shoot me an e-mail here: Stephanie-louise@live.com Thanks!